Clean drinking water at 35 paisa/litre courtesy Maruti Suzuki

The company bears the initial cost of the water ATM, the panchayat provides the land and the electricity to operate the facility while WaterLife India sets up, operates and maintains the plant for at least 10 years, said the statement adding that this partnership will ensure that villagers can access clean drinking water, meeting WHO and ISO 10500 standards, at 35 paisa/litre.

Maruti Suzuki today inaugurated its 2nd water ATM in the Kasan village of Manesar that the auto major has adopted in Haryana. Image source: Reuters

Maruti Suzuki today inaugurated its 2nd water ATM in the Kasan village of Manesar that the auto major has adopted in Haryana. The water ATM was presented to the community members by Lt. Gen. Dushyant Singh Chauhan, Senior Advisor (Vigilance), Maruti Suzuki in the presence of village panchayat and community elders, said a company statement.

The company bears the initial cost of the water ATM, the panchayat provides the land and the electricity to operate the facility while WaterLife India sets up, operates and maintains the plant for at least 10 years, said the statement adding that this partnership will ensure that villagers can access clean drinking water, meeting WHO and ISO 10500 standards, at 35 paisa/litre.

A K Tomer, Executive Director, Corporate Planning, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “Access to clean drinking water is a critical need in our adopted villages, many of which have a high migrant population. They need a long term solution that provides clean drinking water, is self-sustaining and affordable."

"We have designed a solution around Water ATMs where the village panchayats offer land and power for the plant and WaterLife India sets up the plant and maintains it for at least 10 years. The 10-stage UV filtration technology ensures that water meets WHO standards while retaining essential minerals. Water wastage is minimal – only 25% compared to conventional technologies. The response from the community is very positive and nearly 8,500 households are benefitting. We are very happy to offer second in Kasan village – the 11th water ATM in our adopted villages in Haryana," Tomer added.

Inaugurating the facility, Lt. Gen. Dushyant Singh Chauhan, Senior Advisor (Vigilance), Maruti Suzuki said, “Partnership with the communities around our facilities is high on priority of Maruti Suzuki management. We are thankful to our community elders and well-wishers for their continued support for maintaining harmonious environment in the region for mutual benefits.”

Under this model since 2016, Maruti Suzuki has so far established 11 water ATMs at the adopted villags in Haryana. These Water ATMs have seen over 8,700 registrations till now and have dispensed around 5.5 lakh litres of clean drinking water, it added.

Under a baseline survey conducted by ‘Waterlife’, the technology partner of Maruti Suzuki for Water ATM projects, various discrepancies were found in the water quality of the villages.

The pH as well as the TDS level of the water was found to be on the higher than the permissible limits. Adding to that the sanitary conditions of the reservoir were also below par. The only available clean water was sold at a very high selling price by families with access to RO purifiers.

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Community Development is one of the three important pillars of Maruti Suzuki India Limited’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives– the other two being in the areas of road safety and skill development.